Following a 101-77 victory over Missouri State, the Beavers now turn their attention to an important road contest against Saint Louis. The Billikens figure to offer the Beavers their toughest test of the season in a true-road game atmosphere and OSU knows just how important this game is to their postseason aspirations.

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The Oregon State men’s basketball team hits the road for what is their second true road game of the season, as the Beavers will travel to Missouri for a matchup with Saint Louis on Monday.

Despite playing several games on a neutral court in St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam, the only true road game the Beavers have played this season came when OSU defeated Long Beach State 75-72.

Saint Louis welcomes in Oregon State sporting a 6-1 record of their own, notching quality wins over Seton Hall and Butler. The Billikens lone loss came at the hands of Pittsburgh and Wayne Tinkle feels that this is the toughest challenge the Beavers have faced this season.

“We think it’s going to be the most talented team we’ve played to this point,” Coach Tinkle said. “They’ve got some big wins in Butler and Seton Hall, so going to their place, not a neutral site like we played them in Portland a year ago, is going to be a heck of a challenge. They’re a very physical team that plays a slow-down, methodical style at times. They mixed up their defenses and really try and get after you. Similar to Old Dominion and Missouri in that regard.”

With the Beavers going halfway across the country for a single contest against a very good and potentially tournament bound Billikens squad, guard Ethan Thompson knows just how important a win would be to their own postseason aspirations.

“It’s really big,” Thompson said. “It’s our second true road game, so it’s going to be a real test for us to go out and get the win.”

Guard Stevie Thompson Jr., echoed his younger brothers’ thoughts on the importance of beating the Billikens, and how it could serve as a momentum boost to carry the team moving forward, especially away from Gill Coliseum.

“It’s very important for us to come out with the win against Saint Louis,” Thompson Jr. said. “They are a very good team and it’s a true-road game, so showing that we can carry our offense and defense on the road in tough contests would be big for us. Those wins neutral court wins and road win should give us some confidence about having a winning mentality when we aren’t at home.”

One thing working in the Beavers’ favor as they prepare to face Saint Louis is the emergence of junior center Kylor Kelley.

After the loss of Gligorije Rakocevic due to a stress- fracture in his foot, the 7-foot Kelley was inserted into the starting lineup and he ran with his opportunity. While he only managed to score two points, he made his presence known on the defensive end early and often as he tallied four blocks and looked like a perfect fit running the floor in transition with the Beavers’ bevy of playmakers.

“It felt great,” Kelley said of his first start. “We really miss Big G out there but with our guys in the starting lineup against MSU, we’re able to run the floor a lot. I’m a defensive impact player and I have to make sure I stay on the ground when they pump fake to not get into early foul trouble.”

Coach Wayne Tinkle noted during Tuesday’s media availability that Big G would travel with the team throughout the next few weeks, but didn’t have anything new to update his status. Given how much of a vocal leader and calming presence that G can be to OSU’s young bigs, having him on the bench during games has been crucial.

“He’s been telling me all the big stuff that I need to learn and know coming into D1 as a big,” Kelley said of Big G’s influence. “He’s been helping me identify key factors on offense and defense that I need to focus on.”

With Big G out of the lineup until at least conference play, the Beavers no longer have a very physical presence inside as Kelley isn’t built the same way G is. Tinkle implored his group to get tougher.

“It’s something I’ve been trying to focus on,” Kelley said. “(To get tougher) I have to keep playing against G, and other bigs like we’ll see in Saint Louis. They’ve got some really physical presences and I’ll need to practice my toughness to get better.”

One of the most exciting takeaways from the Beavers’ win over MSU last Saturday was the long-awaited arrival of a lights-out three point shooting team. Coming into the season, the Beavers on paper had all the tools to be one of the better three-point shooting teams in the Pac-12, but it had to translate to the court on a consistent basis.

“We know we’ve got good shooters,” Tinkle said. “It’s something that we feel can be a weapon for us and we’ve been waiting for it to show.”

While the Beavers had been up and down from beyond the arc prior to the win over the Bears, they showed against the Bears that they have the ability to be a deadly three-point shooting team when everything is clicking.

“We definitely feel that’s the type of shooting team we can be,” Thompson said. “We shot a good amount of threes during the game and before the game coach (Tinkle) told us we haven’t been shooting threes and that’s this year, he’s comfortable with us taking a lot of threes.”

Added Thompson Jr. “We’ve have great and talented shooters on our team and everybody who shoots a three, shoots it with confidence. When you combine those two things, it should breed good results.”

OSU’s win over MSU was extra-special for Thompson Jr. as he became the Beavers’ all time three-point makes leader with 187. Coming into the contest, he knew he was close to the mark, but wasn’t focused on it.

“I wasn’t really focused on it too much, but I continued to shoot the ball when I was open just like any other game,” Thompson Jr. said. “The record means a lot to me because it’s always been a goal of mine growing up. Just knowing that all the hard work has paid off and the fact that I was able to do it during a home game is really special for me.”

The next hurdle for this years’ Beaver team to overcome is to translate that hot three-point shooting on the road. OSU has struggled with finding a groove in true-road games during the past few seasons and if the Beavers hope to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015-16, they’ll need to get quality wins on the road.

“We’re pretty confident right now because we’ve been seeing the ball go in,” Thompson said. “Everyone who shot a three made a three last game, so I feel that we’re all very confident now that we’re seeing the ball go in.”

“It’s all a matter of mental toughness,” Tinkle said of the Beavers three-point shooting needing to follow on the road. “Just having the confidence of seeing a bunch of them go in against MSU will hopefully carry with us.”